Arkansas awarded Suicide Prevention GrantLITTLE ROCK — The Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) has received notice that the state is one of 26 states and tribes awarded a Garrett Lee Smith State and Tribal Suicide Prevention Grant. The grant is managed by the Suicide Prevention Branch within the Center for Mental Health Services in the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The funding is expected to total $3,680,000 over five years. “Suicide is a heartbreaking pu...

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Arkansas Department of HealthThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

6-year-old waiting for school bus finds skull Authorities say a 6-year-old girl waiting for her school bus found a human skull near her home near Ogden. Little River County Sheriff Gary Gregory told the Texarkana Gazette (http://bit.ly/1s9ur74 ) that the first-grade student was waiting for an Ashdown School District bus when she found the skull about 7:30 a.m. Tuesday. Gregory says the girl took the skull to show her parents - who then called the sheriff's department. The skull will be se...

Ross, Hutchinson to square off in live debate Republican gubernatorial hopeful Asa Hutchinson and Democratic rival Mike Ross are squaring off for their second live televised debate in the race for Arkansas' top office. The two ex-congressmen are scheduled to face off Tuesday night at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock in a debate being broadcast by Little Rock television station KATV. It comes a little more than three weeks after their first televised debate in September. The two h...

Arkansas lawmakers begin fall budget hearings Arkansas lawmakers began talks Tuesday about crafting next year's budget amid the uncertainty of the midterm elections and competing demands for increased funding for prisons, schools and other needs. A joint legislative panel opened the fall budget hearings, as lawmakers began reviewing budgets ahead of next year's legislative session. The Arkansas Legislative Council and Joint Budget Committee planned to spend the opening days of the hearing...

What to watch for in Arkansas governor's debate A little more than three weeks after their first live televised debate, Republican gubernatorial hopeful Asa Hutchinson and Democrat Mike Ross are squaring off again. The debate will give them a chance to zero in on their top lines of attack in one of the most closely watched governor's races in the country. The two ex-congressmen have been running against each other for more than a year and have traded barbs over their competing tax cut plans...

Teen missing along Buffalo National River found Buffalo National River officials say a 16-year-old girl reported missing during the weekend has been found safe. Spokesman Caven Clark says Cindy Hawse was found in good condition about 1:35 p.m. Other details were not released. Hawse was reported missing shortly after 10 a.m. Sunday from her campsite in the Cecil Cove area of Buffalo National River Park. Clark said about 40 searchers looked for Hawse on Sunday and continued searching Monday, ...

Arkansas State Police investigate inmate death Arkansas State Police are investigating the death of a 37-year-old inmate found dead in his jail cell. The Jonesboro Sun reports (http://bit.ly/ZmumR1 ) a Marked Tree Police Department employee found 37-year-old James Ford on Sept. 20. The employee says Ford was found hanging by a bed sheet in the cell. The city police chief tells investigators Ford didn't indicate that he was suicidal and didn't cause trouble. He had been arrested on suspicio...

Court to take up Arkansas alcohol sales measure A case heading to Arkansas' highest court this week could determine whether the state's voters can decide to expand alcohol sales throughout the state. It could also determine whether a proposal to raise the minimum wage also remains on the ballot. The Arkansas Supreme Court is set to hear arguments Thursday over the lawsuit challenging the proposal, which would legalize alcohol sales in all 75 Arkansas counties. Currently, 37 of the state's c...

Quitman schools honor 5-year-old battling cancer Emma Mortenson loves the movie "Frozen," and her favorite song is "Let It Go." Her favorite colors are pink and purple. She will turn 6 on Oct. 14, and she wants to be a doctor when she grows up. Emma also has aggressive osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer, and on Sept. 19, the teachers and students of the Quitman School District invited her into their schools for a day completely devoted to making her happy, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette repo...

2 killed in separate crashes PARAGOULD (AP) — Arkansas State Police said a Paragould woman and a Newport man have been killed in separate auto accidents in northeastern Arkansas. State police said Jennifer Hill, 33, of Paragould died and two children were injured when her car was struck Friday by a pickup truck on Highway 412 in Paragould. Police say Hill was westbound when the driver of the pickup crossed four lanes of traffic and collided with her car. Police say the pi...

Suspect in realtor's death transferred to prison LITTLE ROCK (AP) — Pulaski County authorities say the suspect in the kidnapping and slaying of a real estate agent has been transferred from the county jail to the state prison system. County Sheriff Doc Holladay told reporters that Arron Michael Lewis, 33, was transferred to the Arkansas Department of Correction after his parole was revoked Friday. Lewis was paroled in Arkansas in August 2013 after serving time for theft. Lewis was arrested M...

Ferguson-related conference to feature Clinton LITTLE ROCK (AP) — A conference that organizers say is a response to the unrest in Ferguson will get under way next week at the Clinton Presidential Center. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that outgoing Attorney General Eric Holder and former President Bill Clinton will open the forum on race relations and community policing. The U.S. Conference of Mayors is sponsoring the Wednesday and Thursday event. Forty mayors and 30 police chiefs wi...

AG candidate files voter registration Republican Arkansas attorney general candidate Leslie Rutledge on Friday filed "under protest" her voter registration application with the Arkansas secretary of state's office after her name was removed from voter rolls earlier this week. Pulaski County Clerk Larry Crane announced Wednesday that he had canceled Rutledge's registration because she was registered to vote in Washington, D.C., and Virginia. He also said Rutledge would have to re-r...

Ross unveils plan aimed at equal pay in workplace LITTLE ROCK (AP) — Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Mike Ross unveiled a plan Friday aimed at ensuring equal pay for women in the workplace, saying he's confident such a proposal could gain support from Republican state lawmakers. Ross was joined Friday by his wife, daughter and current first lady Ginger Beebe to announce his fair pay proposal, which calls for strengthening state law to prevent retaliation against workers who discuss their wag...

Lawmakers urge safeguards to stop Ebola spread LITTLE ROCK (AP) — Members of Arkansas' House delegation have sent a letter to President Barack Obama urging his administration to take more steps to protect Americans against the spread of the Ebola virus. Republican congressmen Rick Crawford, Tim Griffin, Steve Womack and Tom Cotton want the administration to consider implementing travel restrictions on countries affected by the virus and enforce immigration policies. Friday's letter also ex...

Man gets 15 years in police chase MOUNTAIN HOME (AP) — An Arkansas man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to charges stemming from a police chase that injured an officer. The Baxter Bulletin reported Rory Gregory, 53, took the plea deal Thursday in Baxter County court. He pleaded guilty to felony charges of second-degree battery, two counts of theft, fleeing and being a habitual offender. A Mountain Home officer engaged Gregory on Aug. 16 after an a...

Police: Food stolen from delivery truck JONESBORO (AP) — Police in Arkansas are searching for whoever stole nearly $1,000 worth of food from a Frito-Lay delivery truck. The Jonesboro Sun reported the theft was reported Monday. Police say the truck was parked inside a fenced-in Frito-Lay sales facility. They say peanuts, chips, popcorn, cheese dip and salsa were stolen. The delivery driver tells police the doors of the truck had been jammed before the theft and couldn't be locked. Po...

2014 Arkansas fall color reports now available LITTLE ROCK (AP) — Arkansas residents and visitors can keep track of the changing of the leaves throughout the state this fall by visiting www.Arkansas.com/fall . The color updates are posted every Thursday afternoon during the season. Visitors can also get the information by calling 1-800-NATURAL or 501-682-7777, Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The website also features suggested scenic byways where visitors can catch the best views of the cha...

Storms knock over trees, knock out power LITTLE ROCK (AP) — Quick-moving storms knocked over trees and knocked out power as they rumbled across Arkansas, and forecasters warned that some of the storms could contain tornadoes. The National Weather Service said the control tower at Little Rock National Airport was evacuated briefly as a storm possibly containing a tornado passed by before entering the prairies of eastern Arkansas. Wind gusts of 60 mph raked much of the state as lightni...